THE REPLACEMENTS Tim : Let it Bleed Edition
( Sire / Rhino )
Recent years have been good to ‘ Mats fans , with deluxe remixed reissues of 1981 debut album Sorry Ma , Forgot to Take Out the Trash , 1987 ’ s Pleased to Meet Me , and 1989 ’ s Don ’ t Tell a Soul . Author Bob Mehr ’ s Trouble Boys : The True Story of the Replacements offered a glimpse behind the band ’ s tattered curtain , and the reissues became the perfect soundtrack for return visits to the book . 1985 Sire debut Tim has been the album many fans have been most eager to revisit , and this hardback edition offers and immersive listen into the band ’ s botched chance to break into the mainstream . It ’ s also the Replacements ’ final album as a quartet with star-crossed guitarist and loose cannon Bob Stinson .
Tim is packed with relatable songs for a lost generation . “ Income tax deduction , what a hell of a function ,” sings Paul Westerberg on disaffected anthem “ Bastards of Young .” “ The ones [ who ] love us least , are the ones we ’ ll die to please ,” he adds . The introspective ballad “ Swingin ’ Party ” finds its protagonist as an ill fit with the incrowd and full of insecurity . “ If being afraid is a crime , we hang side by side ,” sings Westerberg . The plaintive “ Here Comes a Regular ” finds people looking for connection at the corner bar , but ultimately coming up pretty much empty . “ Everybody wants to be special here ,” sings Westerberg against folk-strummed acoustic guitar and gently tumbling piano lines . “ Waitress in the Sky ” is a Westerberg ’ s smartass putdown to his flight attendant sister . “ Left of the Dial ” apparently references Westerberg ’ s friendship with Let ’ s Active guitarist Lynn Blakey , knowing that if they couldn ’ t cross paths often due to their respective bands ’ touring schedules , Westerberg could search for his companion on obscure college radio stations while on the road . Howling rockers “ Lay it Down Clown ” and “ Dose of Thunder ” channel Westerberg ’ s wry humor and fixations with arena rockers like Slade and Kiss , also reflecting the latter in the included live album ’ s performance of “ Black Diamond .”
The set features one vinyl LP and four
CDs . The LP and first CD present a new mix by Ed Stasium that fans can compare to their battered original copies mixed by Tommy Erdelyi ( aka founding Ramones drummer Tommy Ramone ). Stasium ’ s mix sounds more full and complete , with growl and bite in Westerberg ’ s and Bob Stinson ’ s guitars that was lacking in his friend Erdelyi ’ s mix . The rhythm section of Tommy Stinson ’ s bass and Chris Mars ’ drums hits harder , with increased body and a bigger presence to the low end . Mars ’ snare drum now sounds more like a natural instrument than a machine gun in a canning factory . The effect is similar during the punkabilly “ Kiss Me on the Bus ,” even drawing out Westerberg ’ s strangled pre-solo vocal singing “ Hurry , hurry , here comes my stop .” Stasium dials back vocal reverbs and pushes the instruments further into the stereo field . Stasium uses more of Bob Stinson ’ s guitar playing for the new mix of songs including “ Little Mascara .” However , it has to be said that Stinson ’ s guitar solo on “ Bastards of Young ” sported more of an anodyne punk rock snarl in Erdelyi ’ s thinner soundstage . All in , the revised Tim sounds like more of a fully realized record . Choose your poison , but Stasium ’ s mix simply rocks harder . If you prefer the original ‘ 80s polished / punk sound , it ’ s available in remastered format on the set ’ s second CD .
Disc 3 includes 15 tracks of demos and alternate mixes representing most of the album tracks . Previously unreleased songs include the chugging and chiming “ Having Fun .” Two alternate versions of non-album cut “ Nowhere is My Home ” produced by Big Star ’ s Alex Chilton are launched and sustained by Mars ’ insistent drumming and spiced with Bob Stinson ’ s razor-sharp lead .
The final CD includes a full show from the Cabaret Metro in Chicago recorded on January 11 , 1986 . For a band known to give both transcendent shows and flaming disasters , this set presents loose but accomplished work . Unlike the professionally recorded For Sale : Live at Maxwell ’ s that was recorded the following month , the Metro show finds the Replacements with their guard down . The concert was captured via soundboard recording by soundman Monty Lee Wilkes and an audience tape from Aadam Jacobs . The show features half of Tim ’ s material with raging versions of
14 illinoisentertainer . com january 2024